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Team# 8

Mayra Alejandra Arguelles #39


Valerie Nicole Suazo #27
Samir Josu Amador #29
Josselyn Esperanza Martnez #18
Aryanni Melndez #50
Bianca Damary Montoya #3
Facilitator: Ms. Iris Vallecillo, M.A.
Reading and Writing Workshop
November 30th 2015

Past Lives of the Sun, Moon, and Stars

The ancient Mayans had a group of expert astronomers. These were priests who dedicated

their lives to the study of all observable elements in the sky. The Mayan people strongly believed

that their fate was foretold by their gods through the movements of the celestial elements. This is

why they built their temples and other buildings in a way that would facilitate the observation of

the sky. Through keen observation, they were able to track and record the movements of the sun,

moon, and the stars constellations. Among the celestial discoveries according to the Dresden

Codex, one of the few surviving Mayan books, was the observations of planets such as Mars,

Mercury, and Venus. (Minster) According to the Popol Vuh, the Mayans believed that the

sun, the moon, and the stars had been living beings in a past existence. For example, the sun

and the moon represented the embodiment of the savior twins Hunahp and Ixbalanqu. The

book talks of an important character called Vucub Caquix who believed he represented the sun.

The stars represented four hundred boys that were killed by Zipacn, son of Vucub Caquix.
The sun is the closest star to the Earth, the biggest element, and the main source of energy

in the solar system. The sun is a big ball of hot gases. The gases are converted into energy in the

suns core. The energy moves outward through the interior layers into the suns atmosphere, and

is released into the solar system as heat and light. Most of the gas that makes up the sun is

hydrogen- about 72%. (Sharp) The moon is Earths only natural satellite but one of the largest

satellites in the Solar System. One of the strongest theories according to Nadia Drake in her

article for National Geographic Asteroids Bear Scars of Moons Violent Formation, the moon

was formed from debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body

called Theia. Both the sun and the moon were very important to the Mayans according to

the Popol Vuh because they believed they were once important living beings in a past

existence. The sun and the moon represented the embodiment of the savior twins Hunahp and

Ixbalanqu. Both of these characters are first mentioned in the sacred book of the Mayans The

Popol Vuh in Chapter V as the defeaters of the glory of the evil character Vucub-Caquix. (50)

These two demi gods were the central focus of most of the Mayans heroic tales and the base of

the mythical origin of the sun and the moon. Hunahp and Ixbalanqu were twin brothers

fanatics of the Mayan ball game, which is why according to The Popol Vuh on Chapter XIII

they are called upon the Xibalb, which was the Mayan equivalent of the underworld to play

against the Lords that ruled the underworld.(111) Here the twins face many challenges and tricks

from the evil Lords. But the twins apply their ingenious skills to defeat them and finally they

defeat the Lords and other evil beings of Xibalb. This is when they earn the glory that the

Mayans talked about in all of their tales and is what earned them a place in the sky. When they

aged and decided it was time to leave Earth they died and ascended into the sky where Hunahp

became the sun and Ixbalanqu became he moon. The book describes the moment as follows:
As fu su despedida, cuando ya haban vencido a todos los de Xibalb. Luego subieron

en medio de la luz y al instante se elevaron al cielo. Al uno le toc el sol y a l otro la luna.

Entonces se ilumin la bveda del cielo y la faz de la tierra. Y ellos moraron en el cielo.

This is one of the reasons why the Mayans dedicated their time to the observation of these two

celestial beings. They thought their heroes were up there still taking care of them and defeating

the evil forces of Xibalb. Christopher Minster, an expert in Latin American History wrote on his

article Ancient Maya Astronomy: Some of the Mayan dynasties claimed to be descended from

the sun. He also stated that the moon was nearly as important as the Sun for them. The Mayans

observed these celestial elements carefully and were able to predict solar and moon phenomena

such as the phases of the moon, eclipses, and equinoxes. This is why they adored and offered

tributes to the sun and the moon. They thought that praising the two twin gods and keeping them

happy would bring them blessings. The sun and the moon, represented by the twin brothers were

one of the most important elements for the Mayan Quiche people due to the great importance it

had to them for their daily affairs and to the symbolism they had acquired through the myth they

believed to be true.

The sun and the moon were the ultimate representations of power to the Mayan people.

Many man thought they were descendants of the Ambition is a type of vanity, it is aiming at

something beyond its powers. (Hunter279) Many men throughout history have been victims of

their own ego and sense of greatness. John Hunter says No man ever was a great man who

wanted to be one. (279) Wanting to be great without any power is just another form of vanity.

Many men tried to conquer the world and their ambition and vanity led them to self-destruction,

defeat, and probably death. Examples of this can be Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. They

both wanted to be great, to have the world at their mercy and their great ego played a big part on
their defeat. In every culture there is a character that reflects how ambition and vanity and

become the ruin of men. The Mayan culture is no exception and there is a clear example of it on

one of the stories from their sacred book. According to The Popol Vuh the sun and the moon

was once represented by a deity. The book talks of an important character called Vucub Caquix

who believed he represented the sun and the moon. Vucub Caquix was believed to be a powerful

bird demon pretending to be the sun and the moon. This part of the Mayan history happens after

the first creations and before the present one. His name meant Seven Macaws and allegedly had

the appearance of a violent looking scarlet Macaw with large wings. The book refers to a time

where the earth and sky already existed but there was no sun or moon to bring light. This is why

Vucub Caquix assumed greatness since his eyes, teeth, nose, and face lighted upon everything he

looked at. The Popol Vuh mentions this as follows:

Yo ser grande ahora sobre todos los seres creados y formados. Yo soy el sol, soy la

claridad, la luna, exclam. Grande es mi esplendor. Por m caminarn y vencern los

hombres. Porque de plata son mis ojos, resplandecientes como piedras preciosas, como

esmeraldas; mis dientes brillan como piedras finas, semejantes a la faz del cielo. Mi nariz

brilla de lejos como la luna, mi trono es de plata y la faz de la tierra se ilumina cuando

salgo frente a mi trono.

As pues soy, yo soy el sol, yo soy la luna, para el linaje humano. As ser porque mi

vista alcanza muy lejos. (49)

The hero twins Ixbalanqu and Hunahp were very angry because of the vanity of Vucub

Caquix, since to them only the creators Tepeu and Gucumatz were to be great and exalted. This

is why they plan to kill Vucub Caquix. The twins first attacked by hiding on Vucub Caquixs

favorite tree and shoot him with a blow gun and a poisoned arrow and manage to break his jaw.
Vucub Caquix ripped Hunahps arm off and escaped. Their next attempt, they convince an old

couple to pretend to be physicians and they would be their grandchildren. From his great pain,

Vucub Caquix agrees to take off his giant emerald teeth, and replaced them with white corn

kernels; they also extracted out his eyes. Vucub Caquix lost all his glory when he lost his shiny

and bright jewelry and it is presumed he died shortly after. Ego and ambition were the defeat of

this god. (The Popol Vuh 50-56; ch. 5 and 6)

The sun and the moon are not the only elements that brighten the night sky. The stars

have been present in the night sky ever since humanity can remember. The stars are balls of

hydrogen and helium with enough mass that it can sustain nuclear fusion at its core. (Cain) Like

the planets, the stars move across the heaven but unlike the planets, they stay in the same

position, unmovable. Constellations are named patterns of stars. All societies created them.

(Kaler). Pleiades is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the

constellation of Taurus. (Schomp 55) The Pleiades stars system is also referred to as the Seven

Sisters because seven of its stars are visible to the naked eye. But in reality, this star cluster

actually contains more than four hundred stars. (Gray)

J.J. Hurtak, an esoteric author, states that Pleiades was considered to be the other Sun of

our Solar System the Sun beyond the Sun which is an old belie found in many

cultures. One of the Mayan names for Pleiades was the 400 boys, at a time when

telescopes able to see the 400 stars were not yet invented. (Gray)

To the Mayans the mythological aspect the stars were not as important as important the sun and

the moon but they were of most importance to them as a guide to their daily and future activities.

They could predict the seasons and this would help them with the agricultural planning. The stars

had more practical use than the sun and the moon. According to the Popol Vuh, the Mayans
believed that the stars were once living beings. The stars represented four hundred boys that

were killed by Zipacn, son of Vucub Caquix. In chapter seven of The Popol Vuh, Zipacn is

mentioned as the creator of the mounts. (p.57) Zipacn is a character that possess supernatural

strength. Zipacn was taking a bath in a river when four hundred boys went by dragging a big

tree to support their home. When the book mentions four hundred boys, it does not mean it

literally, it is just a collective noun used back then to mean a lot of boys; these boys were the

gods of alcohol and drunkenness. Zipacn offered his help to the boys to carry the tree to their

home. Alarmed by Zipacns strength the boys decide to kill him before he can harm them.

(Schomp p.55) Their plan was to dig a hole and lure Zipacn into it so that they could then throw

the big trunk of the tree on him. But Zipacn proved that he was smarter because once he was in

the hole he dug his way out through another way. They believed they had trapped Zipacn and

threw the tree at him and left him for dead. After this happened they decided to make and drink

their alcoholic beverages and when they were drunk Zipacn let the house fall on top of their

heads and ended up killing them all. The boys are not mentioned again until the heroic twins

Hunahp and Ixbalanqu die and transform into the moon and the sun. Then, The Popol Vuh

mentions the following about the stars: Entonces subieron tambin los cuatrocientos muchahos

a quienes mat Zipacn, y as se volvieron compaeros de aquellos y se convirtieron en las

estrellas del cielo. (142) It is said that the group of stars that were once the boys became a group

of bright stars called Motz also known as Pleiades. (Schomp 55)

In conclusion, science has proven countless times that celestial elements are mostly made

of gases or rock. Nevertheless the Mayans portrayed the origin of these elements in a much more

idyllic way. According to the Popol Vuh, the Mayans believed that the sun, the moon, and

the stars had been living beings in a past existence. For example, the sun and the moon
represented the embodiment of the savior twins Hunahp and Ixbalanqu. The book talks of an

important character called Vucub Caquix who believed he represented the sun. The stars

represented four hundred boys that were killed by Zipacn, son of Vucub Caquix. The sun, the

moon, and the stars had an important meaning for the Mayans due to the stories behind them.

They idolized these celestial elements so much that some even wanted to be them. The Popol

Vuh mentions these elements many times and in every moment it is to strengthen their beliefs

that their lives and happiness depended upon the will of the gods that these elements represented.

This literary work of art is a representation of all the ancient Mayans beliefs about the origin of

the celestial elements.


Works Cited

Anonymous. El Popol Vuh: Las Antiguas Historias del Quich. Trans. Adrin

RecinosTegucigalpa: Guaymuras, 2004.

Drake, Nadia. "Asteroids Bear Scars of Moon's Violent Formation." National Geographic 16

April 2015. 23 Nov. 2015 <http:// news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150416-

asteroids-scars-moon-formation-space/>

Cain, Fraser. "What is a Star?" Universe Today 29 Jan 2009. 23 Nov. 2015

<http://www.universetoday.com/24351/what-is-a-star/ >

Sharp, Tim. "What is the Sun Made of?" Space.com 17 Aug. 2012. 23 Nov. 2015

<http://www.space.com/17170-what-is-the-sun-made-of.html>

Minster, Christopher. "Ancient Maya Astronomy." About Education 2004. 24 Nov. 2015

<http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/ancientlatinamerica/p/Ancient-Maya-

Astronomy.htm >

Schomp, Virginia. The Ancient Maya: Myths of the World Series. New York, 2009. 25 Nov.

2015 https://books.google.hn/books?id=UsCGRAudDoUC&printsec=/

frontcover&hl=es#v=onepage&q&f=false>

Hunter, Keith M. Mayan Astronomy & Mythology A Popol Vuh Story Decoded: Zipacna &

the 400 Boys. Ancient World Mysteries 2012. 25 Nov. 2015 <http://www.ancient-

world-mysteries.com/mayan-Astronomy-Mythology-popol-vuh.html>
Gray, Holly. The Pleiades and the Andean Mystery Teachings. Edge Magazine 1 Aug. 2013.

26 Nov. 2015 <http://www.edgemagazine.net/2013/08/the-pleiades-andean-mystery-

teachings/>

Hunter, John. Essays and Observations on Natural History, Anatomy, Physiology, Psychology

and Geology London 1861. 28 Nov. 2015 <https://books.google.hn/books?id=uhg1

AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=es#v=onepage&q&f=false>
Book Recommendations

McKillop, Heather. The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. New York: Norton, 2004.

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